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Bougainvillea are flowering, woody vines with spiky thorns that grow from 6 to 36 feet tall. They are native to tropical regions of South America and yield spectacular displays of magenta, orange, pink, purple, yellow or white blossoms. Their colorful blooms and fast-growing vines make them a favorite for espaliers -- trellises on which plants are trained into flat shapes. Bougainvillea cannot stand frost so it must be grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9b, 10 or warmer.

Planning and Preparation

1

Select a site for your espalier. Bougainvilleas need at least 5 hours of sun a day to bloom. A brick wall is good because it absorbs heat during the day and releases it at night. The best location for a bougainvillea espalier is on a wall that faces south or west where it captures the most sun.

2

Draw a design or plan of the espalier shape. You can train the vines to grow horizontally or vertically. You can also train them to grow in a U-shape, in a fan, candelabra or diamond shape or in a pinnate shape such as you see on a palm frond. You can even weave them together in a lattice. Choose a shape that fits your taste and wall or garden.

3

Buy a bougainvillea in a 1-gallon container.

Planting and Training

1

Plant the bougainvillea in rich soil 6 to 10 inches from the wall in the same depth that it was growing in the container. This distance between the plant and the wall gives the roots room to grow and allows air to circulate between the vines and the wall.

2

Wait for the bougainvillea to begin growing. Bougainvilleas like to climb, and they grow rapidly if they receive enough sun. As vines grow, fasten them to the wall in the shape of your plan. Traditionally, espaliered vines were tied to wires stretched against the wall. This required concrete screws, bolts and fasteners and the tools and equipment that was necessary to attach the wires. Modern gardeners buy plastic “no nail” trellis fixers that adhere to the wall. These are easy to place in any direction you want your bougainvillea vine to grow, and there are no visible wires or cables behind the espalier. The foliage hides the plastic fixers.

3

Tie the growing vines to the trellis supports on the wall with twist ties. Check the ties twice a year to make sure they do not constrict the vines. Loosen and retie them if necessary.

4

Remove the flower buds when your espaliered bougainvillea is young so the plant devotes more energy to adding vines and less to producing flowers, completing the design faster.

5

Prune vines that are not part of the design from late winter to early spring before new growth begins. Pruning them in early spring stimulates new growth that you need to complete the design. Do not remove the tips of the vines that are part of the design until they are as long as you want them to be. Prune in midsummer if you want to stunt or dwarf the bougainvillea as part of the design. Do not prune in late summer except to remove a few small shoots.

Things You Will Need

Concrete or masonry wall

Bougainvillea in a pot

Trellis fixers with adhesive and ties

Pruning shears

Tip

The adhesive of a "no nail" trellis fixer bonds a plastic cup that provides distance between the wall and the bougainvillea vines. You push the cup against the wall and hold it in place for about 10 seconds. The adhesive requires about 8 hours to bond to a brick or masonry wall.